That looks really cool.

That looks really cool.  What size PVC pipe did you use?  If my eyes are as good as I think they are it looks like it says 2 inches on the bar code sticker.    

I like your habits....

And looks like your giving Walther's a run for their money....err....saving your money too! Heck, that's what scratchbuilding is all about ain't it! 

Great start on the scratchbuilding project, and when you get it all painted up and finished I can tell that it will look way better than the cement kit you are going to sell on eBay! 

Silos

Ken,

Around here we call those concrete silos Inland Grain Terminals.  I don't know why.  Your's looks like it is going to be great!  I am looking forward to getting our layout to the point where it's time to start populating it with structures.  I want to take a crack at scratchbuilding/kitbashing the industries we have planned.  Keep up the good work and do post more pcitures of the progress!

Tools?

Ken, I like the picture with the materials used.  How about one showing what tools you used?  How do you keep everything square?  Are you using commercial tools or do you kitbash them or use non-model-RR tools?

Keep up the good posts.

Thanks for the supportive feedback!

Shane, your eyes are better than mine, I couldn't even see that printing!  Those are indeed 2.5-inch outside diameter pipe sections.  I would've preferred to use the next larger size, but since I only have 6" [depth] of open space between the track and the backdrop, I had to go with the smaller "compressed" size.

Ryan, I appreciate the compliment, although it certainly isn't my intention to try to outdo Walthers.   If I can make the thing look half-decent from a 3-foot viewing distance, I'll be happy.

Kevin, they sure do look alot like grain elevators  - but I think cement silos usually have additional hardware on top, like dust catching equipment, etc.

Dave, here are some pix of the various tools:

1) A powered miter saw with a 10"-diameter blade, for cutting the PVC pipe segments:

 2) A hand miter saw for precision cutting of smaller pieces;

3) ...and all my smaller tools and supplies. I didn't bother to photograge the cordless drill, but one of the bits is pictured.  Lens distortion caused the yardstick to look warped, but it's actually perfectly straight...

To get square cuts, I just place one straight-edged object along the bottom edge of the material I want to cut, then place another perfectly square object against the bottom piece...

..and, wah-lah! --- a perfect 90-degree angle.  I use a dedicated pair of scissors to cut thinner sheet styrene along the marked line, but for the thicker stuff I score it with the exacto blade and break it off.

Awesome Ken!  Can't wait to

Awesome Ken!  Can't wait to see it in person come January!

Epilogue:

Nice work!

Nice Work! Thats a great looking structure.

The frugal yankee (or perhaps frugal father..) in me really appreciates that this all came from scraps..

Regards,

Chris

PVC daydreaming

Thanks, Chris! 

This may sound weird, but everytime I go to Home Depot or Lowes and walk past their plumbing department, I see  that PVC piping and start imagining all the grain elevators, oil refinery cracking towers, vertical tanks and whatnot that I might build with it...someday!

Ken, if you need it, you've

 Congratulations !!!! Very

Congratulations !!!! Very nice indeed. What would be the next project ?

Keeping the original kit in 'virgin' condition

Josh,

Believe it or not, it was something you said [either here or on MRF] that got me started on this project.  You said you wished you'd gotten a WKW Valley Cement kit while they were available; a day or two later I discovered that my target area would never accommodate the entire set of structures that come with it.  So I started thinking, "I don't want to build only the silos and leave everything else sitting unused..."  That led me to a 3rd goal of this project: To avoid removing the shrinkwrap on the Valley Cement kit, so I could resell it 'N-I-B'.

If you're interested, send me a PM on MRF and we can talk about it further...

What comes next

Nick, thanks for the kind words!  My immediate goal after the holidays is to finish modifying my trackwork to optimize operating sessions [my next one's in January].  After that, I plan to create a gate scene for my steel mill, starting with chain-link fence and a guard shack.   On the outside of that there'll be a  Main Street-type scene.  I've got a WKW Merchants Row I, Merchants Row III, White Tower Hamburgers and a leftover City Classics gas station from my old layout, that will be included in that scene.

Kit

 Well Ken,

I am pretty sure that Josh will get that kit from you, but just in case he can't do it let me know I 

have room for it. 

Have a wonderful Christmas !!!!!

Nice!

That turned out really well Ken.